Chapter 86

**Rumble!** The entire world shook, and one crack after another appeared on the desolate land, gradually splitting this already fragmented world into pieces.

"Are you... about to die?" As she watched the once endless, massive dragon body begin to fracture and collapse, Mei Xue instinctively sensed the truth.

"Yes, my lifespan had long reached its end, but I managed to cling on due to the protection of this world. Everything had actually ended long ago," the voice of the Torch Dragon became incredibly gentle.

Indeed, it had long been dead. The primordial world it guarded had completely collapsed, and its body had lost all vitality. Now, it was merely a wisp of divine soul hiding within the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, unable even to lift its head.

Perhaps, this was also why the black bird of calamity that brought about the end of the world did not pursue it further. Whether its body or its divine soul, neither could be restored.

From the moment the primordial world collapsed, it had already fallen. What remained here was merely its final attachment, an unyielding soul that could not find peace.

The reason it could still exist alongside the last fragment of the primordial world was probably entirely due to the protection of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*. Otherwise, with its vitality and fundamental power completely severed, it could not even cling on.

Now, it was time for it to repay the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* and entrust its unfulfilled wishes and the future to the new master of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*.

Why Mei Xue was chosen by the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* became clear to it when it saw the golden-furred, jade-faced nine-tailed fox and Xiang Liu brought here by him. There were things that only Mei Xue could do, things that no one else could accomplish.

Therefore, he was chosen by the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*.

Therefore, he inherited the Great Freedom Wisdom Sword and possessed the light of wisdom.

This was not a coincidence; it was the bond between Mei Xue and the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*.

"Don't be sad. Death is not the end; I have just made a choice." In Mei Xue's ear, the Torch Dragon's voice became clearer, and the ancient, weathered voice subtly changed.

However, Mei Xue did not realize what this change meant.

"Why? Didn't you say you could continue to sleep?" Although the ancient dragon had always been in a hurry and even joked with him, Mei Xue still respected this ancient life.

From it, he felt a wisdom that had endured countless ages, a teacher, a pioneer of the Great Dao, a powerful life form he could never reach.

He still had much to learn from it. He had so many things he did not understand about the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, and compared to the Torch Dragon, who had lived for countless ages, he was like a babbling infant.

"Indeed, but that would be unfair to you. My time is different from yours. If I were to sleep, it would take thousands or even tens of thousands of years for you to fully master the power of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*."

"So, I should not continue to delay."

"The new *Classic of Mountains and Seas* belongs to you. I have completed my mission."

"Now, prepare to receive my final gift."

The earth shattered, and countless streams of scorching lava erupted from the ground, flowing freely over the desolate land, evaporating all the bloodstains.

Amidst the deafening explosions, the last fragment of the ancient primordial world finally met its end.

"Final gift?" Mei Xue did not understand what the Torch Dragon was going to give him.

"Yes, although you might not be willing, this is the only thing I can leave behind." The Torch Dragon's body had completely disappeared from the earth, merging with the countless streams of scorching lava.

Now, only the eternal torch in the center of the sky remained to prove its existence. The once massive dragon body, which had stretched for countless miles and transformed into mountains to protect the last fragment of the primordial world, had completely vanished.

On the earth, only a sea of blood and fire remained, along with crystal tears scattered everywhere, the only things that could not be melted in this sea of lava.

"Watch carefully; this is the final appearance of a world." The Torch Dragon looked at the sea of blood and fire with a hint of sadness. This was the final appearance of the world, the inevitable scene when the world collapsed.

When the crust could no longer suppress the lava beneath, and the destructive lava erupted from the ground, it was the moment when the world could no longer be saved, and all living beings lost their footing, heading towards destruction.

Earth, water, fire, and wind all fell out of balance, and the sky and earth split apart, creating the apocalyptic scene of the end times.

However, it had never imagined that it would be the one to end the life of the last fragment of the primordial world.

Even though this land was left with only its broken body, with no other living beings, witnessing its destruction was still a pain the Torch Dragon could not bear.

Each crack in the ground was like a part of its body being torn away, and each eruption of lava was like it bleeding.

The destruction of this world also meant that the distant ancient primordial world had finally been completely submerged, with no land left from that world.

All of this was for a new beginning, for that dream.

The symphony of blood and fire was the prelude to the end, the path to the future.

"Mei Xue, are you ready?" The Torch Dragon's voice gently wrapped around Mei Xue, no longer ancient and weathered.

It was a voice full of hope, a voice of the birth of all things and the beginning of life, a voice bidding farewell to the past to create a new world.

"Yes." Mei Xue's voice was filled with reluctance. He had so many things he wanted to say to this ancient dragon from the distant past, so many questions he wanted to ask this pioneer on the path of the Great Dao.

Compared to this ancient dragon that had lived for countless ages, he was still too shallow and ignorant.

He had never thought that he would have to say goodbye so soon, and from then on, he would have to walk the path of completing the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* alone, seeing the endless scenery of the seas and mountains by himself.

Unlike the little fox, this Torch Dragon was his teacher, his guide.

At this moment of parting, he realized that he had long grown accustomed to its presence, to the point where he had never thought that the moment of farewell would come so soon.

"Heaven and earth were born, I was born when heaven and earth separated, I will perish when heaven and earth fall, I am the day when I open my eyes, the night when I close them, the winter when I blow, the summer when I breathe..." The Torch Dragon's voice echoed through the heavens and earth, summoning all the remaining fundamental power of the world.

**Boom!** A deafening explosion, and the first pillar of blood-red lava shot up into the sky, forming a pillar that connected heaven and earth.

**Rumble!** The same sound echoed repeatedly, and one pillar after another of blood-red lava rose from the already shattered earth, responding to the Torch Dragon's call, forming a vast forest of blood-red pillars in the heavens and earth.

"Mei Xue, merge with me." The Torch Dragon's voice enveloped Mei Xue, stating the final step of the ritual.